“Baselworld needs to be aligned with SIHH”
Patek Philippe’s president Thierry Stern has called on the organizers of global watch exhibitions, Baselworld and SIHH, to work together to align the dates of their respective shows. Baselworld is traditionally held towards the end of March, while Geneva-based SIHH takes place early in January. Baselworld is currently facing mounting pressure on the back of high profile companies like Swatch Group, Raymond Weil and Maurice Lacroix withdrawing from its 2019 exhibition, but Stern still believes that the show can play a key role in the future. In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters, he insisted that the show is still an important platform for Patek Philippe to meet retailers and journalists, “but the dates need to be aligned with the Geneva watch fair [SIHH], that is key to the show’s future success.”